Carnaval Latino highlights values, heritage and successes of Hispanic community in Kalamazoo

Last Saturday, the Hispanic American Council celebrated their heritage with the first ever "Carnival Latino." The carnival included traditional Hispanic and Latino food, music and cultural fare. In Kalamazoo, there are about 3,600 residents of Hispanic or Latino descent, making up about 5 percent of the city’s population. However, they have a significant impact on the community at large.

The Hispanic American Council provides a variety of programs that engage the youth of their community. They have also brought with them inspiring stories of triumph, as the one told about Francisco Vargas, owner of La Mexicana Market on Portage Road.

Seventeen years ago, Vargas came to the United States from Mexico as a migrant farm worker. Like many immigrants, he encountered challenges along the way, having difficulty with English and sacrificing much so that his family could have a better life.

But he worked tirelessly and now owns one of the Edison Neighborhood’s most popular markets — which sits just several hundred feet from where Vargas once sold vegetables out of his pickup truck when he was working in the fields.

Vargas’ son, Jairo Vargas, said that his father’s determination is an inspiration for all.

“He gave up everything to come here,” he said. “He had nothing. It’s great to see how far he made it and it goes to show that it really doesn’t matter who you are. If you work hard, you can make it.

“He’s pretty inspiring to everyone. You can do whatever you want if you are willing to make sacrifices and have the dedication.”

“It’s a Cinderella story,” said Mercedes, 40, who at age 16 came to the U.S. from Nicaragua to seek political asylum after a revolution there.

Their stories reflect the toil that so many Hispanic families undertake to make a better life for themselves here.

“Our stories are of family values and determination,” Mercedes said. “We know that the impossible might take longer for us, but we will get there. We are hard workers and we are determined.”

Read the full article at: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/carnaval_latino_highlights_val.html

'Day of Dignity' serves 650 needy individuals in Kalamazoo

The annual 'Day of Dignity' organized by Muslim organizations and other community partners served 650 individuals in Kalamazoo last Saturday. They received items such as sweatshirts, underwear and socks to hot sandwiches and fresh fruit to personal hygiene kits.

It was the fourth year in a row that the event, funded by Islamic Relief USA and hosted by several area Muslim organizations, was put on in the city.

“It’s a chance for us to give back to our community,” said Zarinah El-Amin Naeem, co-coordinator of the event. “Sharing your wealth with those in need is an obligation we all have.”

Christina Carswell was surrounded by her godchildren, cousins and nieces, bags of notebooks, mittens and other goods set in a pile by a statue of King in the center of the park.

“For those who can’t afford these things this year, this really helps,” she said. “It’s the little things that count.”

Last year the PRI covered the event with a video to showcase the event. You can watch the video below or at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRVF7YQvOao

Read the full article on mlive at: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/kalamazoo_area_muslim_organiza.html

Students from Benton Harbor Charter Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Students at Benton Harbor Charter School are celebrating their Hispanic heritage. Recently, the Benton Spirit showcased the writing talents of these students as they proudly shared their thoughts on what it means to them to be Hispanic.

A seventh grade girl writes:

"I like my heritage because when a girl turns 15, she gets a quinsenera celebration. At this celebration, they have Mexican decorations such as table decorations, balloons, and streamers. Also at this celebration, they have a traditional shoe ceremony where the father of the young lady takes off her flat-heeled shoes, and her mother exchanges those for high-heeled shoes."

A fifth grade boy states:

"What I do for H i s p a n i c Celebration Month is eat different kinds of food than we usually
eat that my mom cooks, like tacos, corn, tamales, and cake. Sometimes we invite over our family for dinner. We also have cookouts and parties."

For more of these colorful essays (including their Spanish version) see:

bentonspiritnews.com/clients/bentonspiritnews/HIspanicHeritage2010.pdf

Niles Area Crop Walk Has Raised Over $250,000 in Its 30 Year History

People are gearing up for the Four Flags Area CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk Sunday at 3 p.m.

The walk will begin and end at Grace United Methodist Church in Niles. Organized locally, the CROP Walk has set a goal of increasing the number of walkers to to 125 to stop hunger in the community and around the world though self-help development initiatives.

A portion of the funds will got to St. Mary’s Christian Service Center and the Salvation Army in Niles and Redbud Area Ministries in Buchanan. Last year 104 walkers raised $13,725 with $3,431 distributed locally. Over the past 30 years, the walk has raised $257,527 with $64,381 helping those in need locally.

www.nilesstar.com/2010/09/24/walking-for-poverty/

2 out of 3 Americans support providing more generous government assistance to the poor

In a new study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans favor more generous government assistance to the poor while 31% are opposed. There are sharp differences between race, and political standing, but for the large part Americans as a whole seem to support this type of assistance.

In addition, majorities of all religious groups favor more government assistance to the poor, and support is especially high among black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics.

This seems to contrast the widespread message that government benefits should be the first items slashed as we attempt to balance budgets at the state and national levels. I believe that Americans feel sympathy for those struggling due to economic conditions and feel the government should help support them.

See the full report at: http://pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Few-Say-Religion-Shapes-Immigration-Environment-Views.aspx#1

Survey: Half of unemployed workers with job offers said pay was below 25 percent of previous salary

A survey conducted by personified, CareerBuilder's talent consulting arm, shows that 17 percent of unemployed workers have received at least one job offer, and of those workers, 92 percent rejected it.

Basically, jobs are offering lower and lower salaries than workers are used to, with many reporting a 25 percent decrease in salary from their previous job.

Rather than jumping on the first job offer that comes their way, workers are assessing which opportunities really make the most sense for them in terms of compensation and long-term potential," said Mary Delaney, President of Personified.

Insufficient pay was the number one reason unemployed workers turned down a job opportunity. Fifty-four percent of those who rejected an offer reported the pay was more than 25 percent below the salary they earned in their most recent position.

On the other hand, not everyone is spending their full time and resources job searching.

The survey also found that 62 percent of unemployed workers apply to 10 or more jobs each week. However, not everyone treats finding a job like a full-time job. According to the survey, 18 percent of unemployed workers in the survey spend less than five hours a week looking for a job. Thirty percent said they spend more than 20 hours a week job searching.

The statistics seem to suggest that people simply are lazy and aren't spending enough time job searching. However, I will argue that there simply aren't enough jobs out there in most communities to spend more than 20 hours a week searching, especially in Michigan. Being unemployed a few years ago and looking into the abyss again this winter, I can attest that activities such as networking and volunteering lead to better opportunities than traditional job searching techniques.

http://www.mlive.com/michigan-job-search/index.ssf/2010/09/survey_half_of_unemployed_workers_with_j.html

Kalamazoo County home foreclosures worsen; Local agencies strategize how to help

Kalamazoo Foreclosures have continued to rise in Kalamazoo County as many residents cannot pay their taxes or mortgages. A meeting scheduled 6pm next week at the Douglas Community Center will highlight free foreclosure counseling services, hardship exemptions and payment plans for city and county property taxes, legal aid and a program to return foreclosed properties to private ownership.

This particular meeting focuses on prevention,” said Kristen Ramer, outreach and operations coordinator for the Kalamazoo County Land Bank. “We want to see people maintain home ownership.”

Last month, 266 homes were in some stage of mortgage foreclosure in Kalamazoo County, a 20 percent increase over August 2009, according to California-based RealtyTrac Inc. Meanwhile, foreclosures dropped year over year by at least 24 percent in Allegan, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

And so far this year, about 1,800 properties in Kalamazoo County face tax foreclosure, Ramer said. That’s up from about 1,500 properties at this time last year, she said.

“It’s been increasing by almost 100 percent a year for the last three years,” she said of the number of people unable to pay their property tax bills.

There is help available for people facing foreclosure, and homeowners don’t have to pay for the service, said Larry Winling, foreclosure counselor for Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. Winling will provide information Tuesday on the federally funded agency’s free services.

“We know there are more people hurting and in need (of foreclosure help) than we’re seeing,” Winling said. “We do the foreclosure prevention counseling free of charge. We’ll work with them to get some relief from their lender.”

The Poverty Reduction Initiative and the Affordable Housing Partnership will be diving in depth on this issue for the 2009-2010 video on homelessness in Kalamazoo. The video will talk about what programs exist to prevent foreclosure and eviction in Kalamazoo.

For more information on the meeting:

Foreclosure meeting
What: “Foreclosure Prevention and Outreach Forum,” a free informational meeting on help that’s available in the community to keep people from losing their homes.
Where: Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N. Park St., Kalamazoo. When: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Sponsors: Northside Association for Community Development, Kalamazoo County Treasurer’s office, city of Kalamazoo, and the Kalamazoo County Land Bank.

Read the full article at: http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2010/09/kalamazoo_county_home_foreclos.html

October 4 is the Deadline for Voter Registration for November Election

The Michigan secretary of state says the voter registration deadline is nearing for the Nov. 2 election.

Outgoing Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land is reminding Michigan residents that Oct. 4 is the last day to register to vote.

www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100921/News01/100929909/1011/News

Just Faith: Teaches Advocacy for the Poor

Spend some time talking with local Just Faith graduates and you’ll frequently hear the word “life-changing.”

Whether they devote more time to advocating for the poor, see Jesus in new places or change their buying habits, the Just Faith program tends to have a lasting impact on their lives — and sometimes on entire communities...

Area churches offering the Just Faith program include First Presbyterian Church of Richland; St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Benton Harbor; and, starting this fall, St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church, in Kalamazoo Township, which is offering the program in partnership with Open Doors Kalamazoo, formerly known as Open Door and Next Door Shelters.

www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/justfaith_is_all_about_justice.html

1 in 7: 43 Million Americans Live in Poverty

The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama's first year in office.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/16/AR2010091602698.html?hpid=topnews